Thursday, 3 January 2019

8 Month Munchkin Update

MUNCHKIN 8 Month Update

Our little chunk is 8 months old and he weighs around 13kg (28lbs) so he's now tripled his birth weight! Crazy huh?

It was a big month for us with Philip moving to his own nursery. We boobed and snuggled our way into 2019 as poor Munchkin has a throat infection so he's drinking lots. It was lovely to share this moment with him as exactly a year ago was the first time I felt him kick - my little New Year's Eve buddy!

Milk & Munching

Philip has been doing really well taking the milk from a free-flowing sippy cup and he has it 3 times a day after every meal. It's a bit of a hassle to prepare it but I'm worried that stopping it will make him refuse the sippy cup and we'll have to start the process again!

He's going from strengths to strengths with BLW and currently he's loving to nom on a peeled apple - it's perfect size for him to hold and I think it given his itchy gums a nice relief.

In the past he reacted badly to spicy flavours (either directly or via breastmilk) so I'm planning to reintroduce them slowly from next week. We're starting with my old favourite chicken teriyaki and hopefully I'll be able to have a curry one day soon!Understanding of the worldPhilip is showing real understanding of the distance and location and can track cats who walk behind his high chair. He loves all sorts of drop-and-pick-up games (mostly from the highchair obviously) and is clearly experimenting with moving objects.Munchkin is also starting to lift his arms up and flap them about when he wants to be picked up - super cute!In the last week or so, he's chosen his transitional object - if you watched my Instagram stories you would've seen that he's practically inseparable from his little teddy bear!

I'm a little gutted that he didn't choose the doll I knitted him but it just shows that you can't force babies into anything and they will do and choose things when they're ready. I do wonder whether he will give up the bear once he's feeling better? Either way, we're on a panicked hunt to get a second bear in case this one gets lost (or needs to be washes, which it really does!!!)

NappingPhilip is napping really well in his cot and now requires very little settling. I still feed him to sleep but occasionally he has gone to sleep without feeding. I'm planning to slowly phase out the feeding to sleep in preparation for nursery!We still have the odd sling nap when he's unwell or teething so the back-carrying is coming in very handy as he's so heavy to carry at the front for long periods of time. I'm slowly starting to look for a toddler carrier though as he's sadly growing out of our Tula.

CommunicationWe've had a few clear 'mama' in the last few weeks and it seems like he's directing them at me but they're not happening regularly so I'm not sure whether Philip is saying it with any actual intent.He loves babbling ans screeching away, usually at the most inappropriate moments!HealthTwo days after Christmas Munchkin started suffering from a throat infection with a fever. Fortunately he seems to know what he needs to get over it, so he's napping regularly in the daytime and is drinking lots of milk and water.Key DevelopmentsPhilip still loves standing up and is trying to stand holding one hand only recently. He's trying to cruise and he's getting a lot better at rescuing himself once he loses his balance - he can often get himself back up with no help.

He's still making the right movements towards crawling and getting on his knees but so far can only shuffle backwards - he always ends up off the playmat and under the furniture!InterestsPhilip loves playing peek-a-boo and similar 'disappearing' games. His favourite is me hiding under the water it the swimming pool and then jumping up - it always makes him giggle!My mum sewed a playtent for Philip and I hanged some fairylights inside it to make a little sensory corner. I put soft blankets on the floor and we use this space for a little relaxation before naps and bedtime. It's also been very helpful at taking hi mind off the pain wen he's been ill as lying in the tent always calms him down very quickly.

NighttimeMunchkin's sleep has dramatically improved since he moved to his own bedroom. He's been napping in the cot for nearly 3 months now so we decided it was time to try him in his own room at nighttime as well. He usually wakes up only once around 3-4am, apart from the more frequent wakings during his illness.

The move from feeding lying down to feeding and then transferring to the cot has been the hardest physically for me. After a few nights of various attempts, I now put him down and most of the time manage not to wake him up but it's really hurting my back! If he does wake up during transfer, he's been doing very well to just get himself to sleep after a minute or two so fortunately I rarely have to resettle him.

No comments

Post a Comment

About Me

Hi, I'm Paula. I'm a first-time mum to Philip, living on the south coast of England. Balancing natural baby-led life with modern motherhood. On a mission to enjoy a zero-waste, plastic-free family life.